How well do you see? Do your eyes tear up or itch? Do you often have problems with swollen, itchy eyelids? Taking good care of your eyes can prevent this. You can learn good tips about caring for these sorts of eye issues in the following article below.

When you go out on a sunny day, be sure that you wear a pair of sunglasses that offer UV protection. The rays from the sun can be damaging to your eyes if they are exposed to the sun too long. Make sure that the lenses are from a reputable manufacturer.

If you are in the market for a new pair of glasses, you can often find cheap yet stylish frames online. Some places even offer a pair free or discounted if you are a new customer. All you need is your vision acuity number that you receive from having an eye test performed.

Always wash your hands before you touch your eyes. Your fingers are covered with bacteria because your hands touch surfaces that other people have touched. If you touch your eyes without washing your hands, you will transfer bacteria to your eyes and cause irritation or even an infection. Therefore, before touching your eyes, wash your hands with soap and water.

If you regularly wear contacts, keep a pair of backup prescription eye glasses. When experiencing irritation in the eye, you should remove the contact and wear a pair of prescription eye glasses. Keeping a contact lens in your eye while the eye is irritated can turn this seemingly small problem into something much larger, such as corneal ulcer.

Don’t strain the eyes for too long. When you strain your vision and focus on something, such as a computer or television screen, you typically forget to blink as much as you should. When you don’t blink enough, it means your eyes are getting the lubrication they need, which can lead to more serious problems.

Don’t smoke. Along with other things, smoking can really damage your eyes. It can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. Not only that, but it is harmful in other ways to other areas of your body. If you are having a hard time quitting smoking, keep trying, it will be worth it when you are successful.

Consider sunglasses. Ultraviolet rays are given off by the sun and can be very harmful to your eyes. Over exposure from UV rays leads to cataracts or macular degeneration. Pick sunglasses that block UVB and UVA rays. Wraparound sunglasses are especially protective.

Help your eyes out by wearing a pair of good sunglasses. They’ll let you not have to deal with rays that are ultraviolet. They will block out all UVA and UVB rays from the sun. You might need to be using polarized lenses if you’re someone who drives quite often. They help to reduce glare. Also, even when wearing contact lenses that offer UV protection, wear sunglasses as well.

Do you play sports? Certain contact sports, like lacrosse and ice hockey, can be dangerous for your eyes. Make sure you wear either sports goggles or a face mask to limit your risk. While it may seem strange to wear them at first, you will quickly get used to them.

Do you use the computer often, either at work or at home? Looking at the computer screen can be damaging to your eyes, causing blurry vision, strain, headaches and even back and neck pain. Keep your eyes safe by resting them every 20 minutes. Simply look off into the distance for about 20 seconds. Make sure you take a break from your work every hour or so as well.

If you want your eyes to look and feel their best, drink lots of water. The more hydrated you are, the less you will suffer from dark circles. Hydrated skin doesn’t allow the blood vessels to show, ensuring that your raccoon eyes (dark circles) become a thing of the past.

Make sure to consume copious amounts of Vitamin A during the course of the day. Vitamin A is great for helping to reduce the inflammation and irritation that you may feel, which can cause dryness. Foods that have high sources of this vitamin include carrots, chicken, potatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.

To care for your eyes, you must be a healthy weight. Obesity leads to diabetes which can create great damage to your eyes. It also leads to glaucoma, hypertensive retinopathy and other conditions which can lead to blindness. The healthier your body is, the healthier your eyes will be, so lose weight!

Everyone knows that vision is so important. Use the tips you have read here, and keep your eyes functioning as they should. Every tip is beneficial in its own way; read through them again and decide which ones to apply to your own life.

See Clearer Than Ever With These Top Eye Care Tips was originally published on Spring